St Mary's Radcliffe on Trent

Shelford Church circa 1300 is a Grade II* listed building, used regularly for services but also with its wonderful acoustics is regularly used for concerts.

In  2003 a kitchen and toilet were installed in the north-west corner of the church, making use of the screen which had previously fronted the tower,until the organ necessitated its removal. 

The church organ, was built  for Tockington Manor, a Georgian House near Bristol in the 1870's by August Gern.  The case is earlier, about 1760, and has been described by the Revd Andrew Freeman, an authority on organ cases, as "one of the best examples of its period and an ornament to any church  ."  It is indeed very fine and  enhances the west end of the nave, especially when framed by Shelford's lovely tower arch.

Gern was a German who settled in London after working with Cavaille-Coll, one of the most famous of all French organ builders.     The organ was sold to, and installed in St Catherine's Church  Nottingham in 1948 by Roger Yates, a much respected local builder who worked for many years with the renowned firm of Henry Willis.  He added two sets of pipes, moved one set from one manual (keyboard) to the other, and made three manual stops available on the pedal.   It was not altered from this specification or tonally adjusted but simply moved and rebuilt in Shelford Church by Jonathan Wallace in 2004.
The acoustics welcomed the super sound, and congregation, visitors, choirs and organists hear something special.  We have one of the best organs in the area in one of best churches for sound anywhere.